National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' Attracts 248,000 Visitors... Season 2 Opens in August

National Interest Surges with Over 8,000 Visitors During 4-Hour Weekend Wait
Lee Kun-hee Collection Season 2 to Open Mid-August

Many citizens visiting the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 24th, the first holiday after the social distancing measures were lifted, are viewing the Lee Kun-hee Collection. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' Season 1, which attracted nationwide attention, has come to an end after 11 months.

According to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on the 8th, the exhibition 'MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection Special Exhibition: Masterpieces of Korean Art,' which opened on July 21 last year and ended on the 6th of this month, recorded a cumulative audience of 248,704 visitors.

Despite operating with limited admission due to social distancing measures for a considerable period, the exhibition is evaluated to have left a meaningful record.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art originally planned to conclude the exhibition in March this year. However, due to the influx of visitors despite the impact of COVID-19, the schedule was extended twice.

In particular, from April 14, when social distancing restrictions were lifted, until the closing day, about 140,000 people visited over 54 days, averaging 2,600 visitors per day, showing concentrated interest. On the last day of the exhibition, the 6th, the waiting time to enter reached 4 to 5 hours due to the crowd.

A representative of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art said, "Even after the lifting of social distancing, the number of visitors was limited on-site to around 100 people simultaneously, considering the saturation level inside the exhibition hall," adding, "However, this is the first time a long queue formed at an exhibition held at the Seoul branch."

This special exhibition was the first to publicly display about 50 works, mainly modern and contemporary Korean pieces, from the donated Lee Kun-hee Collection.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art plans to present a Season 2 type exhibition focusing on the works of Lee Jung-seop, the artist with the largest number of works in the Lee Kun-hee Collection, at the Seoul branch in August.

Meanwhile, the World Masterpieces Exhibition, which will showcase works by Pablo Picasso and others, is scheduled to open around September at the Gwacheon branch.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.